Crohn's disease persists as an enigma: without a deciphered etiology and without adequate therapy. Prevailing explanations of the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (Crohn's Disease) hold that the characteristic chronic intestinal inflammation results from an aberrant, activated immune response generated against ubiquitous bacteria or bacterial products that gain access to the lamina propria, perhaps through a more permeable intestinal barrier. The abnormal reaction has been suggested to be mediated principally by T-cells enhanced by an intrinsic imbalance in pro-inflammatory and contra-inflammatory mediators. Thus, most therapy aims to counteract that inflammatory state with increasingly potent and sophisticated immune suppressants.
Current therapy, mostly directed at suppressing the inflammatory process, remains inadequate both for the treatment of flares and maintenance of remission. Steroids can be effective in short term use but produce dependency in a significant proportion of patients. While certain antibiotics appear promising, data are limited. Thus there is a need in the art for effective method for treating inflammatory bowel diseases.